Texas A&M HC Mike Elko pushes back on further CFP expansion

College football has always separated itself from every other major sport because every game truly matters. A team’s résumé. Who you beat, when you beat them, and how you looked doing it has always shaped whether you even get a chance to play for a national title.

That urgency is the backbone of the sport. The postseason has evolved dramatically over the last two decades, moving from the BCS selecting two teams, to a four‑team playoff, and now to the 12‑team format. While no system will satisfy everyone, 12 has felt like a reasonable balance based on the early returns.

But even before the new model fully settles, the landscape is shifting again. Under the updated structure , each Power Four champion receives an automatic bid, regardless of ranking, along with the highest‑ranked Group of Six champion. Notre Dame also secures an at‑large spot if it finishes inside the top 12 of the final CFP rankings.

Even with those guardrails, there’s already renewed talk about expanding the field further, a move that risks undermining the very “integrity” the sport claims to protect. Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko echoed that concern in a recent conversation with On3 . "The importance of the regular season is still very much in line with what I believe it has always been.